So if you wanted to propose a government entitlement program and your goal was to be elected to four terms in the White House, you would want to make the beneficiaries of this newly proposed programâ€¦old people, right?

Well if your name is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that would be your proposal.

One Christmas tradition Congress could do without is the broken process of passing the annual Omnibus Spending Bill, which we recently did right before the holiday recess.

Every December Congress fights and argues over spending and never seems to be able to pass the necessary appropriations until the very last minute.Â There is panic and threats of government shut downs and reduction in essential services.Â And they always threaten the essential services, as if there is no waste they could possibly eliminate instead.Â

An ardent defender of a strictly limited government under the reigns of the 10th Amendment – Judge Andrew Napolitano has nearly outdone himself with his new book, “A Nation of Sheep”

Napolitano frankly discusses how the federal government has circumvented the Constitution and is systematically dismantling the rights and freedoms that are the foundation of American democracy. He challenges Americans to recognize that they are being led down a very dangerous path and that the cost of following without challenge is the loss of the basic freedoms that facilitate our pursuit of happiness and that define us as a nation.

Judge Napolitano reminds readers what America is all about, that the purpose of government is to protect freedom, and freedom is the ability to follow your own free will and not the will of government bureaucrats.

It’s time for Congress to “cite chapter and verse.” When they pass new laws or spend taxpayer money they should be required to point to the specific language in the Constitution that empowers that action. The “Enumerated Powers Act” would require them to do precisely that. Help us bring this bill to a vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a firm believer in the Second amendment and an opponent of all federal gun laws. In fact, I have introduced legislation, the Second Amendment Restoration Act (HR 153), which repeals misguided federal gun control laws such as the Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban. I believe the Second amendment is one of the foundations of our constitutional liberties.

However, Mr. Speaker, another foundation of those liberties is the oath all of us took to respect constitutional limits on federal power. While I understand and sympathize with the goals of the proponents of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (HR 1036), this bill exceeds those constitutional limitations, and so I must oppose it.

Iran halted work toward a nuclear weapon under international scrutiny in 2003 and is unlikely to be able to produce enough enriched uranium for a bomb until 2010 to 2015, a U.S. intelligence report says.

A declassified summary of the latest National Intelligence Estimate found with “high confidence” that the Islamic republic stopped an effort to develop nuclear weapons in the fall of 2003.

But, of course, the debate has heightened – some state that this is just more proof that action is needed, because Iran has (and could again) have the intention to build a nuclear program. On the other side, some state that this is a slam dunk – since Iran isn’t building nuclear weapons, and thus, there’s no need to get aggressive with that country’s leadership.

The concept of the Constitution of the United States is not to award unlimited Powers to the Federal Government or to Congress. See also the ideas expressed in Col. Crockett’s speech from my blog, “Not Yours To Give” from a few days ago. The idea is that the States were free and independent States that were ceding Power, but only what Powers were enumerated within the Constitution.

If you are concerned at all about liberty, the economy, the Constitution and the power of the Federal Government – you cannot ignore our longest and most costly war – the War on Drugs.

It’s now 35 years after Dick Nixon started this “war” -Â and we now have over 1 million – yes, 1 MILLION – non-violent people sitting behind bars.Â People who are in jail not for harming other people, but for making a personal choice that the politicians in government don’t want them to make.

Restoring the…what?Â That’s what many people seem to respond with when a discussion of the 10th Amendment, States Rights and Federalism comes up – however infrequent that may be.Â But it seems that this discussion might be getting a little more attention in the near future.

Yes, you did read that correctly! Ok, so maybe you’re thinking I’m off my rocker; what in heaven’s name do cows have to do with the Constitution? Well, according to an interesting post by Liliana Segura at AlterNet this week, we learn that COWs is actually a device that Neil Bush is selling to school districts around the country.

Don’t be fooled by all the hype surrounding testimony from General David Petraeus. In my opinion, this is little more than drama – a political soap opera – distracting us all from the real issue.

The interviews and discussions have involved some heated rhetoric about whether or not the “surge” is “working” in Iraq, but at the end of the day, this is just theater, and almost nothing will change.

US Senators are not generally inclined to stand up and oppose the opinions of a General – even if that general is little more than a politicians, like Dave Petreaus is.

After reading this book, you’ll see quite clearly that the original constitution has very little in common with how this government is run today (if you haven’t noticed already!) The 10th Amendment has been pushed aside and the federal government runs rampant – exercising powers that the founders would never have dreamed of giving to any politician.